Democrats tread carefully with Trump amid fears of retaliation

In a letter to Pence this month, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) wrote that “there remains a serious and damaging perception” that medical supplies and personal protective equipment aren’t being distributed based on threat, “but rather based on political or personal motives.” He pointed out that Connecticut — a solidly blue state — had received only 14 percent of its request for protective gear and noted news reports that Florida, whose governor speaks to Trump on a regular basis, received the supplies it requested.

Murphy has also tried to reach out to White House adviser Peter Navarro, but was instead directed to a Department of Defense official.

“The only meaningful thing the administration is doing is holding daily press conferences,” Murphy said in an interview. “The only federal response has been from Congress. … I think it’s absolutely stunning how little the administration has done and how little they are willing to do.”

“People are fearful that they are going to be retaliated against if they ask tough questions about what’s happening and what’s not happening and how we can make progress. That’s a problem,” added Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.).

Pence’s call with Senate and House Democrats last week also left some members dissatisfied and prompted House Democrats to send a follow-up letter Monday.

The White House did not comment for this story, but Republicans defended the administration’s handling of the crisis.

“When you look at the fact that we continue to lower the estimate of the number of people who will lose their lives, the response has been very successful,” said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, a member of GOP leadership. “The fact that we’ve from gone 1.5 [million] to 2 million projected deaths to less than 100,000 is a direct result of the response of the administration and the American people.”

Some Democrats warn that their party needs to be aware of the tone of any message right now.

“If we disagree with somebody, we’ve got to do it in a very careful way,” Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, a conservative Democrat who is close to the Trump administration, said in an interview. “You’ve got to be careful you don’t attack the president in a certain way, because the public is going to say, ‘Hey what are you doing, you’re supposed to be working together.’”

Democrats have turned in recent days to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin amid frustration with Trump. For instance, Mnuchin spoke with Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) about the disbursement of funds to his state. And Mnuchin is once again serving as the point man for negotiations with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on the terms of the next relief package that will be at least a quarter trillion dollars.

Those talks between Mnuchin and Pelosi have partly substituted for the lack of communication between Pelosi and the president, who haven’t spoken directly since October. Pelosi is now ripping Trump’s “failures to adequately plan for an outbreak on U.S. shores.”

Other top Democrats are also unflinching in their criticism: House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called Trump’s response to the crisis an “unmitigated disaster.” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) warned that Trump might try to use the relief money to “reward his own businesses.”

And there is a heightened sense of concern among some Democrats in the hardest-hit regions who don’t trust Trump not to play politics with the response in their states.

“It’s certainly something that we all think about,” said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who has watched Trump spar with his home state Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, amid rising caseloads of coronavirus.

“His instincts have always been about how any decision reflects on himself, and not whether it’s the right decision,” Kildee said. “But we genuinely want him to succeed, because him succeeding is saving American lives.”